One beauty of small town living is everyone knows everyone else's story. Storytelling began at an early age for me. I would trade stories with older people sitting on the park bench. They talked funny. They spoke in broken English from their native lands. There were Finlanders and Swedes, Italians and Croatians. But now, they were all American miners who worked hard, played hard, and often drank hard.

Lines at the post office could stretch several people deep. Not because there wasn't enough help or service was slow. It was because the person in the front of the line was telling a story to the postmaster. The barbershop was no different. Men would sit in chairs all day telling stories.

One key to good storytelling is good story listening. As a daily newspaper reporter and editor for nearly 20 years, I learned to listen. I’ve interviewed presidents of the United States, famous authors and serial killers. The stories people told were interesting, and at times unbelievable and riveting. It made writing meaningful. Each story had its own voice and tone. It's no different today as we help companies create vivid content. Each has its unique, raw, authentic voice waiting to be heard.

PLUS . . .

+Award-winning newspaper reporter and editor-in-chief for nearly 20 years, most notably with Copley Newspaper.

+PR, brand, content for Fortune 500 like Motorola and US Foods. Stellar on M&A messaging.

+Marquette University, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Eagle Scout.

Rod can honor an Oxford comma as well as anyone, but what he can do that not everyone can is create connections between the stories he tells and the people who read them.

— Chad Calease, Owner, Cyber Resilience

Michele Kelly, Co-founder/CEO

My favorite book as a child was the dictionary. I wrote my first book at the age of seven. Title: "World According to Me." In high school, I wrote sappy love songs. To pass my programming classes, my professors instead allowed me to write reports in order to earn my bachelor's degree in computer science at the Florida Institute of Technology. I stumbled upon an advertising career early on and discovered words change hearts. I've been an entrepreneur since I was 26.

People mostly describe me as “passionate.” I like that people think of me this way. My Italian parents taught me to live the extraordinary life in small ways, that you must have the courage to be "all in," no matter the task.

I’ve penned hundreds of pieces, but I write for one person: the reader. There’s a trust contract between author and reader, and that contract is sacred.

The approach to my work is simple: I start thematically – finding that one big idea that keeps us on point. My beloved style books: Associated Press for journalistic pieces, the Chicago Manual of Style for books. My preferred dictionary: Merriam-Webster. Still.

PLUS . . .

+Ghostwritten books: The Fig Factor,Top Fuel for Life, Living the Amazing and chapters to Overcoming Mediocrity.

Michele has the look of Jackie O, laughs like Lucille Ball and writes like Superman trying to save the world with words.

— Hans Skillrud, President of BuildThis

K+L Storytellers is a B2B corporate storytelling company. We use your story to make your brand memorable. Our mission is to build inspired trust between you and your audience. We are a boutique agency led by an award-winning journalist, a published ghostwriter, and a small team of writers who love a good story.

Be in the know.

Sign up for the Sunday Pasta blog + occasional love notes + inspiring words about living your best story.